Belmont

With anger rushing through my body, I stormed into Clocksworth's old office as soon as I left Marianne and slammed the door behind me.

"He's fucking brainwashed her!" I spat, pacing back and forth in the room without casting him a single glance. "How the hell did my life become such a fucking mess? Like the worst horror movie full of idiots!"

"So she knew about it," Clock stated calmly, exhaling a thick cloud of cigar smoke.

"Of course!" I snapped. "She even found the place for him!" I could feel him watching me, which irritated me, so I decided to stand right in front of him, throwing my arms out. "So what do we do now?"

He shrugged and took a puff from his cigar. "We come up with a new plan."

His calm had the opposite effect on me, and I felt impatience bubbling within. "Theo!" I exclaimed almost desperately.

"What? Are you in a hurry?" he asked with his usual questioning expression, raised eyebrow, furrowed brow, amused look, and that crooked smile. Damn, he was so freaking sexy.

"Yes," I muttered sourly, suddenly thrown back into some déjà vu experience from a time when we had bickered in a similar way.

"Okay, then we confront him," he said. "We give him an ultimatum."

With a sigh, I sank down on the edge of his desk. "Do you think that will work?"

"No."

"So what's plan B?"

"We'll have to imprison him."

I stared at him with wide eyes and muttered sarcastically,"Good luck with that."

He stepped closer, maybe a little too close, but I said nothing. "I know what I'm doing, Little One," he whispered, placing his hand on my shoulder. I glanced up at him with questioning eyes but still said nothing. "But I need your help," he continued, moving even closer, but I didn't respond. All I could do was nod slightly as I felt his hand wander up to my neck, his fingertips tousling the soft hairs at the nape before moving to my jaw, and soon his thumb brushed lightly over my chin and up to my lips.

It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to react when his mouth pressed against mine. It struck my heart, and I quickly placed my palms against his chest, pushing him back, and to my relief, he didn't resist at all.

"I can't," I whispered.

"I know," he sighed, smiling sadly. "You're with someone else."

"Yes," I replied simply, standing up to leave.

"Do you love him?"

The question hung in the air for a moment until I turned around and answered with a short but honest, "yes," and was about to add both of them, but I decided against it. It didn't matter to Clock, as long as he knew I was no longer his.

He nodded a few times before he walked around the desk and sat in the chair to light a new cigar. "I'll talk to Lu tonight, prepare the boys for plan B."

With a bleeding heart I went back to my room and picked up my phone and scrolled through the names in my contact list until I found the right one. Conor. I needed him. I needed to be reassured that he loved me. 

"What mess have you gotten yourself into now, Princess?" sighed the voice on the other end. Damn, I loved his voice.

"Hey," I mumbled after a moment of silence.

"Answer my question," he muttered as if he expected me to be huddled in a jail cell with silver around my ankle. I wasn't, but sometimes it felt like it.

"I just wanted to talk," I finally managed to say.

There was silence for a while. "Has everything gone to hell yet?"

"No... not yet," I sighed. "I'm like the biggest idiot ever."

"That's not news," he said in a way that made me hear him smirking on the other side.

"Conor... when we get back, will everything be like it was?" I wondered as I clung to the  idea of going home tonight and leaving Clock with the mess.

"Nothing has changed, Sweetheart," I heard him say, even though the wind was blowing into the microphone; he must be out walking, I thought. We were silent for a long time, and all that could be heard were his footsteps on some gravelly surface. "Is that all?" he finally said, a little amused.

"Kind of," I sighed."I needed to hear your voice."

He chuckled. "Is that so?"

With a sigh, I threw myself back onto the bed and landed on my back. "Do you know why I love you so much, Conor?"

I don't know if he was actually reflecting on the question, or if he was waiting for me to continue, or if he was a bit taken aback by me asking, because he was silent for quite a while before he replied with a short, "no."

"Because you don't sugarcoat things," I explained, but was met with more silence. "I mean, sure, it can sting sometimes, but at least you're honest."

"It's nice to know someone appreciates me," he laughed a little dryly, but stopped abruptly, and I heard his footsteps come to a halt. "Princess, I have to hang up," he sighed, and I suspected he was standing in front of someone or something that annoyed him; it was clear in his voice.

"Okay," I sighed, trying to hide my disappointment. "We'll talk later."

"You know where to find me," he replied before I heard the click that confirmed he had hung up.I already missed him.

The old mental hospital was just as disgustingly filthy as the last time I was there, and I suspected that the mass grave in the backyard had grown larger with each passing day. 

I could only guess, for now Lumiere had other workers doing the dirty work for him, we were spared, which was both a relief and unsettling at the same time.

Clocksworth got out of the car first and looked around, signaling for us to spread out before he walked toward the main entrance. Dressed in the same old leather coat with a fur collar as always, a cigar in his mouth, and confident strides. He exuded strength, yet I couldn't shake off a sting of worry.

"Are you sure you are up for this?" Dominic murmured beside me, breaking me from my trance.

I ignored his tone and nodded to the right, "You and Mass go that way, and we'll meet at the back," and then I left before he could protest. I couldn't bear to think about what would happen after this. I pushed the thoughts aside and walked toward the break areas. On the way, I encountered some newborn vampires digging graves for the dead. No one paid me any special attention, but I couldn't help but wonder how they would react. Would they flee for their lives or attack us, remaining loyal to him? 

I kicked a stone lying in front of my feet on the overgrown gravel path and decided it didn't matter; we were prepared for both outcomes. My steps grew heavier as I approached the place where I knew the dead bodies were piled up. It wasn't the bodies themselves or the fact that they were dead that I disliked; it was the smell of blood that I was uncertain how to handle. It always varied from time to time. 

I shoved my hands deep into my pockets and walked through the open back door. The first thing that hit me was the horrendous stench of rotting flesh, but then it got worse as I heard the sound of scratching claws and loud screams.

"Belmont?" Lumiere's voice sounded surprised when he saw me wandering down the corridor.

"Hey."

He frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

"Why? Has something happened?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah, you could say that," I replied hesitantly.

Lu stepped out of the room he had been in and walked toward me. "Are you alone?"

"No, Clocksworth asked me to show him around." 

He hesitated, taking a few more steps, and now that he was really close, I could smell the blood on him. "What are you doing?" I asked anxiously, glancing into the room behind him.

"Don't go in there," he warned, but it was too late; my gaze grazed the room, and I immediately saw the half-conscious humans lying there with tubes in their wrists, being drained of blood that filled bags.

I took a few stumbling steps back and leaned my palm against a wall. "Fuck, Lu," I breathed and closed my eyes to focus.

"Come on," he said quickly, taking me under the arm, "you need some fresh air."

I nodded briefly and let him help me. My head was spinning, adrenaline was pumping, damn, it smelled so good. They were so close; I could easily run in there and close the door behind me.

"Get a grip, damn it!" I told myself and bit my lower lip. Lumiere jumped in surprise but resolutely led me away to another part of the house where I knew there was a balcony. "Thanks, Lu," I started but didn't get further before a young girl came bursting out of a room right in front of me. 

Her hair was a mess, and she wore a dirty pajama set with little teddy bears and rainbows on it, as if she had just woken up. Her eyes were wide open and filled with terror. She ran, and something inside me triggered; instinctively, I reached out my arm and grabbed her. The rest happened quickly. I heard Lumiere's warning voice as background noise as I spun around and fell to my knees with the girl tightly in my arms. The thirst was unbearable.

My fangs grew in my mouth, and I longed to taste blood again. She trembled in fear against my chest, and she screamed as my teeth sank into her skin. Finally!

"Belmont!" The dark commanding voice made me jerk, but I wasn't done yet. "BELMONT!" he roared louder, and I caught a glimpse of the brown leather coat fluttering past me before I felt a hand around my neck. "Let her go," he commanded, and immediately the body fell from my arms.

 As he raised his arm, I had to follow his movement and stand up to meet his gaze. I breathed heavily, feeling the hunger intensifying; the sounds around me grew louder. The lamenting voices from the humans' cells, the hissing sounds from the darkness, and the sweet screams of pain. 

"Belmont," he said again, this time in a softer voice, "look at me."

I followed his order and looked straight into his face; it was filled with sorrow and despair, but I didn't understand why until I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass door behind him. My mouth and chin were covered in blood that dripped onto my white T-shirt; my teeth had grown so long that I could barely close my mouth, and my face, my face had completely changed, and suddenly I looked like some fictional monster from a book.

Nausea washed over me, and my entire body began to shake. What the hell had I become? Desperately, I pressed my hands against my ears, wishing the sounds would disappear. Soon, I could barely hold back anymore; I was so close to tearing myself free and running into the room of bags, gulping down everything inside.

"Help me," I groaned, looking back into Clocksworth's eyes. 

I didn't need to say more; the sorrow over what I had become and the anger towards Lu, and perhaps a bit of hatred towards myself, simmered within him until thick black smoke began to form around his feet.

"Dominic, get him out of here!" he roared, and suddenly both Mass and Nico appeared on either side of me to help me out of the house. With unsteady steps, we half-ran outside, and I felt a shiver run through me when I heard Lumiere's pleading screams from inside.

"No! Please, Theodor... NO!"